Javi shook his head immediately. "No. No, I wasn't."
From the side, Anne—standing just behind—gave the tiniest shake of her head, subtle enough that Javi wouldn't notice.
Lukas caught it.
And he chuckled.
"Yeah… okay."
Javi huffed lightly, wiping his face quickly like it proved his point. "I said I wasn't."
"Of course," Lukas nodded, still smiling.
Then Joanna was there.
She didn't say anything at first, just stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Lukas leaned into it for a moment, closing his eyes briefly as he held her back. No cameras here. No crowd. Just them.
"I missed you," she said softly.
"I know," he replied. "I missed you too," as he gave her a light peck on the cheek.
João stepped in next, arms already open. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"
They hugged, quick but solid.
"You didn't even wait for me to get my revenge," João added as he pulled back. "You knocked my country out and then did that today?"
